Camera and camera control method

ABSTRACT

A camera according to the present invention, which is capable of continuous shooting before and after a still image shot according to photographer&#39;s operation, comprises: an imaging section converting an object image into image data; a still image shooting section obtaining image data of the still image according to release operation; a continuous shooting section obtaining the image data by continuous shooting before and after the obtaining of the still image in the still image shooting section; an image processing section performing image processing which is different from that of the image data obtained by the still image shooting section and changed sequentially, on the image data obtained by the continuous shooting section; and a recording section recording the image data image-processed by the image processing section.

Benefit is claimed, under 35 U.S.C. §119, to the filing date of priorJapanese Patent Application No. 2009-177250 filed on Jul. 30, 2009. Thisapplication is expressly incorporated herein by reference. The scope ofthe present invention is not limited to any requirements of the specificembodiments described in the application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to cameras and camera control methods,and, in detail, relates to a camera having a function of moving imageshooting together with still image shooting such as a digital camera, avideo camera, a mobile phone with a camera, and relates to a cameracontrol method.

2. Description of the Related Art

Still image shooting as cutting out a moment as in the conventional filmphotograph is comparatively simple for a user. On the other hand, inmoving image shooting, it is difficult how to fix start timing and endtiming and a movie camera has been used only in a formalized event suchas an athletic festival and a wedding ceremony. Further, except whendetailed rendering is preliminarily determined, a shot moving image haslittle variety and it is very difficult to make it an image worthviewing. This is because it is difficult to endure the monotonous imagefor a user accustomed to viewing a moving image in which compositionchanges frequently as in a TV program. Further, although a colorfulexpression can be obtained by the change of shooting parameters, it isdifficult for an amateur user to do it.

Accordingly, there is an idea of combining the still image and themoving image to provide variety to the image. For example, JapanesePatent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H4-331583 (Published onNov. 19, 1992) or Japanese Patent Publication No. 3673528 (published onMar. 10, 1995) discloses a camera capable of shooting a still imageduring shooting a moving image.

Further, there is proposed a camera which edits a moving image aftershooting to prevent the image from becoming monotonous. For example,Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-110995(published on Apr. 11, 2003) discloses a camera which provides atransition effect in the edition of a moving image when a connectionrule (to end in a pan and to start in a pan) is not followed in theconnection of a moving image, and allows even a user without technicalknowledge for the moving image edition to perform the moving imageedition easily.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at providing a camera and a camera controlmethod, in which anybody can shoot a colorful image having varietyeasily by combining a moving image and a still image.

A camera according to the present invention, which is capable ofcontinuous shooting before and after a still image shot according tophotographer's operation, comprises: an imaging section converting anobject image into image data; a still image shooting section obtainingimage data of the still image according to release operation; acontinuous shooting section obtaining the image data by continuousshooting before and after the obtaining of the still image in the stillimage shooting section; an image processing section performing imageprocessing which is different from that of the image data obtained bythe still image shooting section and changed sequentially, on the imagedata obtained by the continuous shooting section; and a recordingsection recording the image data image-processed by the image processingsection.

Further, a camera according to the present invention comprises: animaging section converting an object image into image data; a temporaryrecording section recording image data of a still image and a movingimage according to an output of the imaging section; an image processingsection determining an image effect to be provided to the image data ofthe moving image according to the image data recorded in the temporaryrecording section, to perform image processing; and a recording sectionrecording the image data of the moving image processed by the imageprocessing section and the image data of the still image.

Further, a camera control method according to the present inventioncomprises the steps of: converting an object image into image data;temporarily recording image data of a still image and a moving imageaccording to the image data; determining an image effect to be providedto the image data of the moving image according to the temporarilyrecorded image data; performing image processing according to thedetermined image effect; and recording the image-processed image data ofthe moving image and the image data of the still image.

Further, a camera control method according to the present invention inwhich shooting is performed by photographer's operation and continuousshooting is available before and after a still image, is characterizedin that image processing which is different from that in shooting thestill image and changed sequentially is performed on an image in thecontinuous shooting, and the image-processed image is recorded ordisplayed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of acamera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an image processing sectionin a camera according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a still image and moving images shot beforeand after the still image and also showing image processing of theseimages, when an object includes one person, in a camera according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a still image and moving images shot beforeand after the still image and also showing image processing of theseimages, when an object includes plural persons, in a camera according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing image processing by scanning when a movingimage captures plural persons, in a camera in an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams showing a relationship between a still imageand moving image processing determined according to a moving image, in acamera in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a camera changing direction afterstill image shooting, in a camera according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 8A to 8F are diagrams showing a state of recording and displayinga center part of a screen as a moving image even when the camera haschanged direction after still image shooting, in a camera according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing camera control operation of a cameraaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing scanning operation of a camera accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described using a camera towhich the present invention is applied, according to the drawings. FIG.1 is a block diagram showing an electrical circuit of a camera 10according to an embodiment of the present invention. The camera 10 is adigital camera and configured with a control section 1, an imagingsection 2, a parameter setting section 3, a motion determination section4, a recording section 6, a parameter control section 7, a displaysection 8, an operation section 9, a clock section 11, and the like.

The imaging section 2 includes a photographing lens (zoom lens) having azoom function and a focusing function, an exposure control section suchas a shutter and an aperture, an image sensor, a drive and readoutcircuit of the image sensor, and the like, and converts an object imageformed by the photographing lens into image data by the image sensor andoutputs this image data. A face detection section 2 a detects whether ornot a human face is included in the object image and detects the numberof human faces and the position, size, and the like thereof when theface is included there according to the image data processed by thecontrol section 1, and then outputs the detection result to the controlsection 1. Note that the face detection is performed by the extractionof a shade and shadow in a face part such as an eye, a nose, and a mouthusing a pattern matching method or the like.

The control section 1 controls a sequence of the entire camera 10according to a stored program. The control section 1 has a compositionchange determination section 1 a, a trimming section 1 b, and an imageprocessing section 5. The composition change determination section 1 adetermines whether or not the composition of a screen or the posture ofthe camera 10 is changed. In the determination of the composition changein the screen, the control unit 1 utilizes a motion vector or the likeaccording to the image data output from the imaging section 2. Further,the posture of the camera 10 is determined according to a determinationoutput of the motion determination section 4 which will be describedhereinafter.

The trimming section 1 b performs trimming processing which cuts out apart of the image data output from the imaging section 2. For thecut-out of the image data, as described hereinafter, a periphery of anobject face is cut out according to the position, size, or the like ofthe face detected by the face detection section 2 a in the scanningprocessing. In addition, the trimming section 1 b generates an enlargedimage of the shot image by the trimming at the time of reproductionaccording to a user's instruction.

The image processing section 5 takes in the image data output from theimaging section 2, and performs various kinds of image processing suchas thinning processing, cut-out processing, edge enhancement processing,color correction, image compression and performs the image processingsuch as for displaying moving image live view, for recording a stillimage and a moving image in the recording section 6, and for reproducingand displaying the still image and the moving image. In the imagecompression/decompression and the like, the image processing section 5includes circuits for a still image and a moving image according to therespective types of processing, such as a still imagecompression/decompression circuit, and a moving imagecompression/decompression circuit.

Further, the image processing section 5 temporarily stores the imagedata of a shot moving image for a predetermined time (e.g., approximate0.5 seconds) before and after the still image shooting, and performs theimage processing on this temporarily stored image data. In the imageprocessing, the image processing section 5 compares the still image andthe moving image and changes the image processing according to thiscomparison result. This image processing will be described hereinafterby the use of FIG. 3 or FIG. 6. Further, a detailed configuration of theimage processing section 5 will be described by the use of FIG. 2.

The parameter setting section 3 performs the manual setting ofphotographing parameters with a zoom button for changing a focaldistance in the imaging section 2, an aperture value setting operationsection for setting an aperture value, and the like, and outputs theparameters to the control unit 1. Note that the aperture value and thelike may be set automatically according to a photometrical result. Theparameter control section 7 controls the imaging section 2 according tothe shooting parameters set manually or set automatically in theparameter setting section 3. By controlling the shooting parameters, itbecomes possible to adjust exposure, a field angle, background blurring(depth of field), and the like.

The motion determination section 4 has a six-axis sensor or the likedetecting total six-axis physical amounts of acceleration inthree-dimensional space, that is, three-axis acceleration and rotationalspeed in three-dimensional space, that is, three-axis angular speed.This motion determination section 4 can determine whether or not theposture of the camera 10 is changed.

The operation section 9 includes various operation members such as arelease button, a power switch, a reproduction mode setting button, anda menu button, and determines the operational states of these operationmembers and sends the determination result to the control section 1. Theabove control section 1 performs the control of shooting or reproductionin a predetermined sequence according to the operational state of theoperation member. The recording section 6 records the image data of thestill image or the moving image which is obtained by the imaging section2 and compression-processed by the image processing section 5 when ashooting instruction is provided by the release button.

The display section 8 has a display monitor such as a liquid crystalpanel or an organic EL panel disposed on the rear side of the camera 10,performs live-view display before shooting, normal reproduction displayof the recorded image, camera information display, and the like. Aphotographer can determine composition and timing while observing thelive-view display. The clock section 11 performs clock operation andoutputs shooting date and time information. This shooting date and timeinformation is recorded together with the image data of the still imageand the moving image when recorded in the recording section 6.

Next, a detailed configuration of the image processing section 5 will bedescribed using FIG. 2. The image processing section 5 takes in theimage data output from the imaging section 2 and performs the variouskinds of image processing such as the thinning processing as describedabove, and, here, there will be mainly described a configuration relatedto the image processing for the image data of the moving images shotbefore and after the still image shooting.

The temporary recording section 5 a is a memory for temporarily storingthe image data from the imaging section 2, and has a memory (0) fortemporarily storing the image data of the still image and a memory (−n)to a memory (−1) and a memory 1 to a memory n for temporarily storingimage data sets corresponding to frames of the moving images shot forthe predetermined time preceding this still image and for thepredetermined time succeeding the still image (continuous shooting),respectively. Here, the memory (−n) to the memory (−1) temporarily storethe moving image for the predetermined time preceding the still imageshooting, the memory 0 temporarily stores the image data of the stillimage, and the memory 1 to the memory n temporarily store the movingimage for the predetermined time succeeding the still image shooting.

A time control section 5 h inputs the clock information from the clocksection 11 and performs clock control for the moving image recording forthe predetermined time. Note that all of the memory (−n) to the memory nneed not to always record the image data and only limited memories amongthem may be used for recording the image data of the still image and themoving image.

The memory 0 for temporarily storing the image data of the still imageis connected to a still image compression section 5 b. The still imagecompression section 5 b performs image compression such as the JPEG. Aclassification section 5 c inputs the image data of the still image fromthe still image compression section 5 b and determines whether a face isincluded in the still image and whether there is one person or pluralpersons when the face is included, for classifying the still image.

The memory (−n) to the memory (−1) and the memory 1 to the memory nstoring the respective image data sets of the frames in the moving image(continuous shooting) are connected to a movement determination section5 d and an effect processing section 5 e. The movement determinationsection 5 d determines whether or not an object has movement before thestill image shooting by using the image data of the moving image beforethe still image shooting which is temporarily stored in the memory (−n)to the memory (−1). Similarly, the movement determination section 5 ddetermines whether or not the object has movement after the still imageshooting by using the image data of the moving image after the stillimage shooting which is temporarily stored in the memory 1 to the memoryn.

The effect processing section 5 e inputs the movement determinationresult of the moving image in the movement determination section 5 d andthe classification result of the still image in the classificationsection 5 c, and performs the image processing so as to generate animage effect in the input image data of the moving image according tothese results. This image processing is performed according to arelationship shown in FIG. 6 to be described hereinafter. A moving imagecompression section 5 f performs the moving image compression by theMPEG 4, the motion JPEG, or the like on the image data image-processedby the effect processing section 5 e.

A connection data section 5 g combines the image data of the movingimage generated by the moving image compression section 5 f and theimage data of the still image generated by the still image compressionsection 5 b, and generates connection information for reproducing bothof the image data sets continuously. The connection information by theconnection data section 5 f, the image data from the still imagecompression section 5 b, and the image data from the moving imagecompression section 5 g are sent to the recording section 6 and recordedas one image file. When the image data recorded in the recording section6 is reproduced, it is possible to increase reproduction speed, toreduce the reproduction speed adversely, and to reproduce the image datain fast forward or in slow motion. Further, how many seconds the memorycapacity of the temporary recording section 5 a corresponds to changesdepending on how many frames are shot in a second. The temporaryrecording section 5 a is a memory to be used in such a freedom.

Next, the image processing for the moving image performed according to acomparison result of the still image and the moving image will bedescribed using FIG. 3 to FIGS. 6A to 6C. FIG. 3( a) shows a state ofimages before and after the still image shooting. As describedhereinafter, the camera in the present embodiment also temporarilyrecords the image data of the moving image (continuous shooting) for apredetermined time (e.g., 0.5 seconds) before and after the still imageshooting together with the image data of the still image.

Note that, in the present embodiment, the image data of the obtainedmoving image and still image is not directly recorded and is recorded inthe recording section 6 after the image processing has been carried outto provide the image effect to the moving image so as to make the movingimage worth viewing at the time of reproduction. The image processing isperformed so as to allow the image to be viewed in expectation bycomparing and determining the still image and the moving image beforeand after the still image and by switching the images according to thedetermination result.

FIG. 3( b) shows an example of the image processing at the time ofrecording. In this example, only one person is captured in a still imageand movement is not included in the moving image before or after thestill image, and therefore the moving image before the still imageshooting is made to change from a close-up state to a normal image(zoom-down) and the moving image after the still image shooting is madeto change from a normal image to a close-up state (zoom-up). The zoom-upor the zoom-down is performed here for the purpose of creating a feelingsuch as the feeling of focusing on this person who is alone and haslittle movement. In addition, the moving image before the still imageshooting is subjected to fade-in processing and the moving image afterthe still image shooting is subjected to fade-out processing. Whileplural transition effects are combined here, it is obvious that all ofsuch effects may not be necessarily provided. For example, in FIGS. 6Ato 6C which will be described hereinafter, only one representativeeffect is described and explained for simplicity.

While the combination of the moving image and the still image recordedin this manner may be directly reproduced and displayed, a reproductiondisplay as shown in FIG. 3( c) may be performed for providing furthervariety. In this example, only the moving images provided with the imageeffect are gathered and reproduced continuously. That is, in FIG. 3( c),the image-processed moving image after the still image shooting isreproduced and consecutively an image-processed moving image afteranother still image shooting is reproduced in a reversed sequence.

While two moving images are reproduced consecutively in FIG. 3( c),further another moving image may be reproduced consecutively. In thiscase, when arranging the moving images in consideration of the orderthereof so that the image may change smoothly by reproducing a zoom-downimage after the reproduction of a zoom-up image and by reproducing afade-out image after the reproduction of a fade-in image, it is possibleto enjoy a natural screen transition. All the images may always finishin a close-up image for creating a feeling of a certain kind of rhythm.Further, as described above, the reproduction speed is not necessarilythe same as the speed at the time of shooting, and the image may bereproduced in somewhat fast forward or may be reproduced in slow motionadversely.

Next, using FIG. 4, another example will be described for the imageprocessing of the moving image performed according to a comparisonresult of the still image and the moving image. In this another example,the still image includes plural persons, and spacing between the personsis gradually narrowed from a wide state and movement exists in themoving image before the still image shooting. However, the moving imageafter the still image shooting shows little movement. In such asituation, this example performs the image processing of fade-in on themoving image before the still image shooting, that is, processing tochange an over-exposure state to an appropriate exposure state, for theimage processing at the time of image recording. Here, the fade-in isperformed for the purpose of obscuring the origin of the movement andallowing the whole movement of the plural persons to be viewed.

Further, scanning processing which displays a close-up face of eachperson is performed on the moving image after the still image shooting.This scanning processing will be described using FIG. 5. In an exampleshown in FIG. 5, the faces of three persons are captured and trimmingprocessing is performed so as to close up these three person's facessequentially. For this purpose, the centers of the left end person'sface and the right end person's face are determined for a start pointand an end point of the face movement, respectively. Then, the scanningimage can be obtained by the following process: obtaining an averageface size, determining a move line 23 a on the upper side and a moveline 23 b on the lower side in consideration of this average face size,and cutting out a trimming image as if a trimming frame (21 a, 21 b, or21 c) moves between these lines as sliding. This scanning processingwill be described hereinafter using FIG. 10.

The control section 1 and the image processing section 5 perform theimage processing of the moving image therein according to the comparisonresult of the still image and the moving image as described above. FIGS.6A to 6C show an example of the moving image processing according to thecomparison result of the still image and the moving image. FIG. 6A showsthe image processing for the moving image in a case in which theclassification section 5 c determines that the still image has a faceand there is one person. In this case, when the moving image hasmovement, the fade-in or fade-out processing is performed so as toobscure the start or the end of the movement, and, when the moving imagedoes not have movement, the zoom-up processing is performed so as toallow face expression to be viewed clearly. Note that, in the drawing,“Moving image 1” means the moving image before the still image shootingand “Moving image 2” means the moving image after the still imageshooting. While a representative effect is illustrated here as describedabove, it is obvious that another effect, for example, exposure changeeffect, blurring effect, or the like may be used additionally. Suchprocessing is performed by the effect processing section 5 e of theimage processing section 5.

FIG. 6B shows the image processing for the moving image in a case inwhich the classification section 5 c determines that the still image hasa face and there are two or more persons. In this case, when the movingimage has movement, the fade-in processing or the fade-out processing isperformed so as to obscure the start or the end of the movement as inthe case of one person. Further, when the moving image does not havemovement, the scanning processing is performed so as to allow the faceexpression of each person to be viewed clearly.

FIG. 6C shows a case in which the classification section 5 c determinesthat the still image does not have a face, and this case means thatprobably the still image is a landscape image. Accordingly, when themoving image has movement, the fade-in processing or the fade-outprocessing is performed so as to obscure the start or the end of themovement as in the case of one person. Further, when the moving imagedoes not have movement, while the zoom-up may be performed, the presentembodiment causes the moving image to change from a black-and-whiteimage to a color image so as to distinguish color clearness. Note that,the list of the moving image processing shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C is anillustration, and the conditions may be exchanged and another processingmay be combined.

The present embodiment performs the moving image shooting continuouslyafter the still image shooting. Therefore, the image becomes undesirablefor viewing unless the camera 10 is focused on the object for apredetermined time (0.5 seconds in the embodiment) after the still imageshooting. Accordingly, the present embodiment automatically extracts aperson 25 positioned in the center of a screen and records the face partof the person 25 after the trimming so as not to apply stress on thephotographer more than necessary.

This trimming method will be described using FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A to 8F.FIG. 7 shows a state of shooting a person 25 of an object, and the stillimage is captured in a shooting area 15 a and the succeeding movingimage is captured in shooting areas 15 b and 15 c. At this time, FIG. 8Ais an image corresponding to the shooting area 15 a, FIG. 8B is an imagecorresponding to the shooting area 15 b, and FIG. 8C is an imagecorresponding to the shooting area 15 c, among images shot by the camera10.

The image of FIG. 8A corresponding to the shooting area 15 a of thestill image is directly recorded as shown in FIG. 8D, but, for the imagecorresponding to the shooting area 15 b of the moving image, a trimmingarea 17 b including the screen center of the shooting area 15 a (face ofthe person 25 exists in the center) is recorded as shown in FIG. 8E, andfor the image corresponding to the shooting area 15 c of the movingimage, a trimming area 17 c including the screen center of the shootingarea 15 a is recorded as shown in FIG. 8F. Here, while the aspect ratioof the trimming area 17 b or 17 c may be changed from the aspect ratioof the still image, the aspect ratio is made the same in the presentembodiment because the same aspect ratio can avoid uncomfortablefeeling.

In this manner, although the photographer changes the composition intothe shooting areas 15 a to 15 c, the image data of the trimming areas 17b and 17 c corresponding to the center part of the still image screen isrecorded in the recording section 6. Even when a photographer changesthe composition into the shooting areas 15 b and 15 c unconsciously inrelief after the still image shooting, the center part of the screen isrecorded by the trimming. To use only the face part by the trimming canprovide a moving image expression for capturing the expression change ofthe object. That is, it is possible to record a process in which theobject comes to be relaxed, in the transition of the image as in FIGS.8D to 8F, and it is possible to recall a memory.

Note that the trimming processing described using FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A to8F is carried out by the composition change determination section 1 aand the trimming section 1 b within the control section 1. That is, whenthe composition change determination section 1 a determines that thecomposition has been changed into the shooting areas 15 a to 15 c, thetrimming section 1 b performs the trimming processing according to thedetermination result. This trimming-processed image data is sent to theabove described temporary recoding section 5 a and the above describedimage processing of the moving image is carried out. That is, the imagedata temporarily recorded in each memory in the temporary recordingsection 5 a is trimming-processed by the trimming section 1 b andrecorded again in the same memory, and then the result is subjected tothe moving image compression.

Next, the operation of the camera 10 according to the present embodimentwill be described using a camera control flowchart shown in FIG. 9. Whenthe camera 10 is powered and activated, the flowchart shown in FIG. 9starts. After the start, first it is determined whether a shooting modeor not (S1). This camera 10 is provided with the shooting mode, areproduction mode, and the like, and a mode selection state set by aphotographer is determined according to an operation state of theoperation section 9.

When the determination result in Step S1 does not indicate the shootingmode, a mode except the shooting mode is carried out. The other modesuch as the reproduction mode is carried out here but detaileddescription will be omitted. When the mode except the shooting mode iscarried out, the process returns to Step S1. When the result of thedetermination in Step S1 indicates the shooting mode, image capturingand display are performed (S2). In this step, the image processingsection 5 performs the image processing on the image data obtained bythe imaging section 2 and the display section 8 performs live viewdisplay. The photographer can determine composition and a shutter chancewhile watching the live view display.

Subsequently, temporary recording of continuous shooting is performed(S3). Here, the image data is obtained from the imaging section 2repeatedly in predetermined timing, and the obtained image data issequentially recorded temporarily into the memory (−n) to the memory(−1) in the temporary recording section 5 a. While the number of pixelsor the like of the moving image data recorded here may be equivalent tothat of the still image data, the moving image data may have smallnumber of pixels when compared to the still image data, since generallythe number of pixels in the moving image is not required to be so largeas that of the still image.

After the continuous shooting temporary recording has started, it isdetermined whether shooting or not. (S4). Here, it is determined whetheror not the release button in the operation part 9 has been operated. Ifthis determination result does not indicate the shooting, then it isdetermined whether an image of 0.5 seconds before exists or not, whilethe image capturing and display and the continuous shooting temporaryrecording are continued (S5). The present embodiment temporarily recordsthe moving image for a predetermined time, here, 0.5 seconds, before thestill image shooting and deletes the moving image before the 0.5 secondsif it exists. In this step S5, when 0.5 seconds have elapsed since thestart of the continuous shooting temporary recording, it is determinedthat the image of 0.5 seconds before exists.

When the determination result in Step S5 indicates that the image of 0.5seconds before exists, the object image is deleted (S6). Here, the imagebefore the 0.5 seconds is deleted from among the images temporarilyrecorded in the memory (−n) to the memory (−1), and the recordingpositions are changed such that the latest image is recorded temporarilyinto the memory (−1). After the deletion of the object mage, or when thedetermination result in Step S5 indicates that the image of 0.5 secondsbefore does not exist, the process returns to Step S1.

When the determination result in Step S4 indicates the shooting, thestill image shooting and the recording are performed (S11). In thisstep, the image data output from the imaging section 2 is recordedtemporarily into the memory 0 in the temporary recording section 5 a,and the still image data is recorded in the recording section 6 afterthe compression processing in the still image compression section 5 b.

Subsequently, screen feature determination is performed (S12). Here, theclassification section 5 c performs screen feature determination such aswhether a face exists or not, and whether there is one person or pluralpersons if the face exists, using the image data of the still image.Note that this screen feature determination may be performed in Step 2every time the shooting is performed, using the image data obtained atthat time.

Next, the temporary recording of the continuous shooting is performed(S13). While the temporary recording of the moving image before theshooting is performed in Step S3, here, the image data of the movingimage after the shooting is temporarily recorded sequentially into thememory 1 to memory n in the temporary recording section 5 a. After thetemporary recording of the continuous shooting, it is determined whethera predetermined time, here, 0.5 seconds, has elapsed or not since thestart of the continuous shooting after the shooting (S14). When 0.5seconds have not elapsed in this determination result, the processreturns to Step S13 and the continuous shooting is continued.

When 0.5 seconds have elapsed in the determination result in Step S14,the continuous shooting is terminated (S15), and still image/movingimage determination is performed (S21). Here, the feature of the stillimage (a face exists or not, and one person or plural persons) andcomparison of the moving images before and after the shooting (movementexists or not) are determined as described using FIG. 6, and the effectsto be provided respectively to the moving image before the shooting andthe moving image after the shooting are determined.

Subsequently, the effect processing section 5 e performs the imageprocessing of Effect providing 1 on the moving image before the shootingdetermined in the still image/moving image determination (S22), and thisimage-processed image data is recorded in the recording section 6 (S23).Further, the effect processing section 5 e performs the image processingof Effect providing 2 on the moving image after the shooting determinedin the still image/moving image determination (S24), and thisimage-processed image data is recorded in the recording section 6 (S25).

After the recording of Moving image 2 after the still imageimage-processed, a corresponding relationship between the still imageand the moving image is recorded (S26). Since generally image files ofthe still image and the moving image are frequently configuredseparately, the connection data section 5 g records the correspondingrelationship among the moving image before the still image shooting, thestill image, and the moving image after the still image shooting. Afterthe recording of the corresponding relationship, the process returns toStep S1.

Next, for a case in which Effect providing 1 or 2 is provided in StepS22 or Step S24, the operation of the scanning case in which its effectis described using FIG. 5, will be described using a flowchart shown inFIG. 10. When the scanning flow starts, first respective parts arecompared to each other (S31). The positions and sizes of faces aredetected by the face detection section 2 a and the positions or sizes ofthe faces are compared to each other using this detection result.

Subsequently, an average face size FA is obtained (S32). An average isobtained from the face sizes obtained in Step S31 in which the facesizes are compared to each other as described above, and this averagevalue is defined as FA. A frame having a size the same as this value FAis determined (S33). This frame corresponds to each of the trimmingframes 22 a to 22 c and works as a frame for cutting out each face fromthe image data.

Note that, while each size of the trimming frames 22 a to 22 c may bechanged according to each face size, the present embodiment unifies thetrimming frame sizes into the average face size, since the changing ofthe trimming frame size is uncomfortable for viewing in the reproductiondisplay of the scanning. Such processing can provide an effect as only acertain range is being scanned, but sometimes a part of a human face iscut out. For avoiding this problem, the trimming frame may be determinedaccording to the largest face.

Next, the center positions of the faces at the right end and left endare determined (S34), and a start point and an end point are determined(S35). Here, the center positions of the most left side face and themost right side face are obtained from among the faces detected by theface detection section 2 a, and the center positions of these faces aredetermined to be the start point and the end point, respectively.

Subsequently, the frame is moved from the start point to the end pointand the image existing within the frame at this time is trimmed (S36).Here, from the right end or the left end to the other end, a trimmedimage of a face changes as flowing as in the moving image after thestill image shooting of FIG. 4( b). Although a part of the face betweenthe start point and the end point of the scanning may be cut out, theimage processing is performed so that the discontinuity of the movingimage may be prevented and the moving image may change smoothly. Whenthe scanning reaches the end point, the process returns from this flowto the original flow.

While, in Effect providing 1 in Step 22 and Effect providing 2 in StepS24, the image processing such as fade-in/fade-out and zoom-in/zoom-outis also performed except the scanning, this is publicly known imageprocessing and detailed description will be omitted.

As described above, an embodiment of the present invention performscontinuous shooting before and after the still image, which can be shotby anybody, without being recognized by a photographer or an object, andperforms different image processing on the image in continuous shootingaccording to a determination result of the image at this time.Accordingly, anybody easily can shoot or record a colorful image withvariety.

Note that, while an embodiment of the present invention determines thata continuous shooting (moving image shooting) time before or after thestill image is 0.5 seconds, this is an illustration and the time may belonger or shorter. Further, while the still image and the moving image,which is shot continuously and then image-processed, are recorded in therecording section 6 immediately, these images may be displayed in thedisplay section 8 without being recorded or approximately at the sametime as being recorded.

Further, while examples of the image processing for the moving image,zoom-up/zoom-down, fade-in/fade-out, scanning, andcolor/black-and-white, are shown in FIG. 6, what image processing to beperformed may be changed optionally according to the determinationresult. In addition, not limited to one kind of processing, some kindsof processing may be combined. Further, while the image processing ofthe moving image is changed according to the number of faces or themovement of a face, obviously the image processing may be changed byanother classification condition such as face expression not limited tothe number of faces and the movement of the face.

Further, while the present embodiment explains equipment for shootingusing a digital camera, the camera may be a single reflex camera or acompact digital camera and may be a moving image camera such as a videocamera and a movie camera, and further may be a camera incorporated in amobile phone, a mobile information terminal (PDA: Personal DigitalAssistant), a game console, or the like. Anyway, the present inventioncan be applied to any camera if the camera is capable of shooting thestill image and the moving image.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment as it isand can be realized by modifying the constituents in a range withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof in the step of implementation. Inaddition, various inventions can be formed by optionally combining aplurality of constituents disclosed in the above embodiment. Forexample, some constituents may be omitted from all the constituentsshown in the embodiment. Further, the constituents may be optionallycombined across the different embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A camera capable of continuous shooting beforeand after a still image shot according to photographer's operation, thecamera comprising: an imaging section converting an object image intoimage data; a still image shooting section obtaining image data of thestill image according to release operation; a continuous shootingsection obtaining the image data by continuous shooting before and/orafter the obtaining of the still image in the still image shootingsection; an image processing section performing image processing andincluding an image effect processing section producing an imaging effecton the image data obtained by the continuous shooting section; and arecording section recording the image data processed by the image effectprocessing section, wherein the imaging effect on the image dataobtained by the continuous shooting section is also different from animaging effect that would otherwise be provided on image data obtainedby the continuous shooting section in a default continuous shootingmode.
 2. A camera capable of continuous shooting before and after astill image shot according to photographer's operation, the cameracomprising: an imaging section converting an object image into imagedata; a still image shooting section obtaining image data of the stillimage according to release operation; a continuous shooting sectionobtaining the image data by continuous shooting before and/or after theobtaining of the still image in the still image shooting section; animage processing section performing image processing and including animage effect processing section producing an imaging effect on the imagedata obtained by the continuous shooting section; and a recordingsection recording the image data processed by the image effectprocessing section, wherein the imaging effect on the image dataobtained by the continuous shooting section records the image datadifferently from an imaging effect that would otherwise be provided onimage data obtained by the continuous shooting section in a defaultcontinuous shooting mode.
 3. A camera capable of continuous shootingbefore and after a still image shot according to photographer'soperation, the camera comprising: an imaging section converting anobject image into image data; a still image shooting section obtainingimage data of the still image according to release operation; acontinuous shooting section obtaining the image data by continuousshooting before and/or after the obtaining of the still image in thestill image shooting section; an image processing section performingimage processing and including an image effect processing sectionproducing an imaging effect on the image data obtained by the continuousshooting section; and a recording section recording the image dataprocessed by the image effect processing section, wherein the imagingeffect on the image data obtained by the continuous shooting sectiondisplays the image data differently from an imaging effect that wouldotherwise be provided on image data obtained by the continuous shootingsection in a default continuous shooting mode.
 4. The camera accordingto claim 1, wherein the image effect processing section compares theimage data of the continuous shooting before and/or after the obtainingof the image data of the still image with the image data of the stillimage, to produce the image effect according to this comparison result.5. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the image effect processingsection changes the image effect processing according to whether or nota human face is included in the image obtained by the still imageshooting section.
 6. The camera according to claim 1, wherein the imageeffect processing section changes the image effect processing accordingto whether or not movement is included in the image obtained by thecontinuous shooting section.
 7. The camera according to claim 1, whereinthe image effect processing section carries out at least one ofzoom-up/zoom-down, fade-in/fade-out, scanning, exposure change effect,blurring, effect, and color/black-and-white processing, to produce theimaging effect.
 8. The camera according to claim 1 wherein the imageprocessing section further includes at least one image compressionsection which compresses image data output by the image effectprocessing section.